Trained Pets As Therapy Volunteers Are Wanted By Health Care Facilities Nationally!
Want To Help Challenged Children and / or our Frail, Aged and Vulnerable Communities?
Leah and Millie and Tricia and Pandora
We offer a National and International Pets As Therapy Correspondence Training E-Course
We are often contacted by health professionals and health care facilities nationally seeking a fully trained pets as therapy visitor. We keep a contact list which we send out regularly to our course students and course graduates.
Our pets as therapy trained visitors often express to us how personally rewarding and satisfying it is to gain the skills, understanding and methods, to interact with adults and children with challenges; and to share the affection of their pets to bring smiles to faces and joy into hearts. Pets have a habit of doing that to people, don’t they!
Sarah and Brandy
If you live in the Wollongong, Sydney, Central Coast, Newcastle Velma’s Pets As Therapy are looking for people who would like to participate in offering conversation, companionship and general interaction with the frail aged residents in a facility with a friendly pet, on a regular, ongoing basis. For full details please contact email: velma@velmaspetsastherapy.com.au and state the location where you are living.
If you live in other locations you can take our Pets As Therapy Correspondence E-course which shows how to become a pets as therapy volunteer or paid visitor in your own area. Please e-mail or phone and ask for full details.
Jon and Kate with their menagerie
Visitors should…
- enjoy meeting and talking with people from all walks of life
- be able to commit to offering a minimum of a few hours once a week, fortnight or month, on a regular basis
- have a dog, cat or pet (or access to such a pet) which is healthy, calm, friendly towards all people and other dogs and is well mannered (dogs don’t need to know full obedience prior to the course as the course inlcudes that)
- be reliable and responsible and aged over 18
- have access to reliable transport
- be community spirited
- enjoy seeing people to smile
Our pets as therapy course teaches how to safely work with the frail aged and/or challenged children, or any person who may benefit from kisses, cuddles and interaction with a friendly pet.
Lee and Gemma (mother and daughter)
When you enroll in the course at the same time as a friend, there is $25.00 discount off the second course.
What Does The Course Include?
Pet training skills; health, safety and professional procedures; safe pet placement for interaction to avoid any accidental injuries; insurance and legal suggested documents; how to plan for and offer successful and beneficial pets as therapy visits; how to start, monitor, record, report a pets as therapy program; quality control. Basic bookkeeping for health professionals and people wanting to receive paid pets as therapy visits.
Anne and Terra
The Aim Of The Course Is To Show You How To…
- Work closely with the facilities’ contact person, e.g. Diversional Therapist,Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Behavioural Therapist, Activities Officer.
- Be aware of the Health and Safety rules and regulations within each facility.
- Confidently and comfortably interact with people with dementia; the sight, hearing and speech impaired; the stroke challenged, immobile and frail-aged; and physically, emotionally and intellectually vulnerable adults and children.
- Be aware of each individuals needs and requirements regarding pet interaction, and for each individual to receive the most psychological, emotional, physical and social benefit and enjoyment from the pet.
Michelle and Kyro
How Is The Course Taken?
Pets as therapy is ‘highly skilled’ work and requires a comprehensive training course. There are many health, safety and professional procedures to know plus an awareness of insurance and legal issues. The course is HOME STUDY. You receive a training course package. You complete the questions at the end of each chapter. We read, assess and comment on your answers and return these to you.
Pets are required to be assessed for healthiness, friendliness and if the pet is a dog, basic obedience before the end of the course. The course trains students to train pets in their own homes, to pass the assessment. A Course Completion Certificate is awarded to volunteers and their pets on completion of the training course.
Julie receiving her course certificate at a volunteers meeting
People and pet visitors come in all shapes and sizes!
Locations of our course graduates and pets as therapy visitors in Australia
Sydney - North, South, East and West
Southern Highlands
The Central Coast
Wollongong
Grafton
Byron Bay
Northern NSW
Dubbo
Brisbane
Canberra
South Australia
Adelaide
Victoria
E-mail us at: petcourses@yahoo.com to send you the full details of the Pets As Therapy Correspondence Training E-Course. The course fee is $379.50 (Australian) when taken by e-mail; or $479.50 when taken by usual Australia Post. International students are required to take the course by e-mail.
Enjoy deeply rewarding and highly beneficial paid work as a ‘pets as therapy’ visitor!!
Course graduates can choose to become volunteers or receive paid work as a pets as therapy visitor. Paid work can generally be little more than pocket money as pets are restricted to a maximum of 2 visits per day as they find the work tiring. For people wanting to offer more than 2 pets as therapy visits per day should train several pets.
Contact Velma for more details on 02 9418 4343, or 0432 578 210, or email: velma@velmaspetsastherapy.com.au
